# Software Engineering Manager
**Role:** Software Engineering Manager · **Level:** Associate Director of Engineering
**Company:** [MakeMyTrip](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/makemytrip)
**Difficulty:** High
**Salary:** US$180000 - US$250000
**Experience:** 8 - 15
**Timeline:** ~14 days
The Software Engineering Manager interview at MakeMyTrip for an Associate Director of Engineering role assesses leadership, technical expertise, strategic thinking, and people management skills. The process is designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to lead engineering teams, drive technical initiatives, and contribute to the company's overall growth and success.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/makemytrip/associate-director-of-engineering-software-engineering-manager
---
## Overall evaluation

- Leadership and Strategic Thinking
- Technical Acumen
- People Management
- Communication and Collaboration

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to make a difficult decision that impacted your team. What was the outcome?
- How do you motivate and retain top engineering talent?
- Describe your experience in managing budgets and resource allocation for engineering projects.
- How do you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning within your team?
- Walk me through a complex system you designed or significantly contributed to. What were the key challenges and trade-offs?
- How do you handle underperforming team members?
- What is your approach to managing technical debt?
- Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders or other departments to adopt your technical vision.
- How do you stay updated with the latest technology trends and ensure your team does as well?
- What are your strategies for ensuring the quality and reliability of software delivered by your team?
- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- How do you balance the needs of the business with the technical needs of the engineering team?
- What are your thoughts on agile methodologies and how do you implement them effectively?
- How do you measure the success of your engineering team?
- What are your career aspirations for the next 5 years?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Deeply understand MakeMyTrip's business, products, and technology stack.
- Review your past projects and be ready to discuss your role, challenges, and outcomes in detail.
- Prepare examples that demonstrate your leadership, problem-solving, and people management skills using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Brush up on system design principles and be ready to discuss scalable architectures.
- Understand common software engineering management challenges and how you would address them.
- Research current trends in the travel tech industry and how MakeMyTrip fits in.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Company and Self-Assessment","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into MakeMyTrip's business model, product offerings, recent news, and financial performance. Understand their competitive landscape and strategic goals. Review your own career history, identifying key projects and achievements relevant to a management role. Focus on articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: MakeMyTrip business & product, career review, leadership philosophy."}
- {"title":"Technical Leadership and System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Focus on technical leadership and system design. Review principles of scalable architectures, distributed systems, cloud technologies, and microservices. Practice designing systems for high-traffic applications. Prepare to discuss technical challenges you've overcome and your approach to technical debt.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System design, scalable architectures, distributed systems, technical debt."}
- {"title":"People Management and Behavioral Skills","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Concentrate on people management and behavioral aspects. Prepare examples using the STAR method for scenarios related to team building, conflict resolution, performance management, mentoring, and fostering a positive culture. Understand common HR and management best practices.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: People management, conflict resolution, performance management, behavioral examples (STAR)."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Final Preparation","longDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews focusing on all aspects covered. Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. Refine your answers and ensure they align with MakeMyTrip's values and the requirements of the Associate Director role. Prepare insightful questions for the interviewers.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews, refining answers, preparing questions."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Gurugram","differences":{"tips":["Research MakeMyTrip's recent performance and strategic initiatives in the Indian market.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with scaling teams and systems in emerging markets.","Highlight your ability to adapt to local business needs and cultural nuances.","Showcase your understanding of the competitive landscape in India."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of the Indian e-commerce landscape and its challenges.","Ability to manage geographically distributed teams.","Experience with agile methodologies in a high-growth environment.","Cultural fit and understanding of MakeMyTrip's values."],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle conflicts within a team in a fast-paced environment like Gurugram?","Describe a time you had to scale an engineering team to meet aggressive business goals in India.","What are your strategies for fostering innovation and a culture of continuous improvement in a diverse team?","How do you balance technical debt with new feature development in a rapidly evolving market?"]}}
- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Emphasize your experience with remote team management tools and best practices.","Be ready to discuss your approach to building a strong engineering culture across dispersed teams.","Highlight your ability to influence and drive technical strategy at a global level.","Showcase your understanding of international market dynamics and customer needs."],"interviewFocus":["Experience in managing remote and distributed engineering teams.","Ability to foster collaboration and communication across different time zones and cultures.","Strategic thinking on global product development and delivery.","Proficiency in cloud-native technologies and distributed systems."],"commonQuestions":["How do you manage remote engineering teams and ensure productivity and collaboration?","Describe your experience in building and mentoring high-performing engineering teams in a global context.","What are your strategies for driving technical excellence and architectural decisions in a distributed setup?","How do you ensure alignment between engineering efforts and global business objectives?"]}}

## Round 1: HR Screening
**Type:** HR Screening · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
HR screening to assess basic fit, motivation, and salary expectations.
This initial screening round is conducted by an HR representative to assess your overall fit for the role and the company. They will review your resume, discuss your career aspirations, and gauge your understanding of MakeMyTrip. Expect questions about your motivation for applying, your salary expectations, and your general experience in engineering management. This is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the company culture and the specifics of the role.
**Interviewers look for:** Clear and concise communication.; Genuine interest in the role and company.; Basic understanding of the responsibilities of an Engineering Manager.; Positive attitude and professional demeanor.
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication skills.; Understanding of the role and company.; Enthusiasm and interest in MakeMyTrip.; Basic alignment with company values.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of clear communication.; Inability to articulate past experiences effectively.; Not demonstrating a proactive approach to problem-solving.; Poor cultural fit or misalignment with company values.
## Questions

- Tell me about yourself and your career journey.
- Why are you interested in this role at MakeMyTrip?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you know about MakeMyTrip?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager?

## Preparation tips

- Be prepared to talk about your resume and career path.
- Research MakeMyTrip's mission, values, and recent achievements.
- Have a clear understanding of why you want to work at MakeMyTrip.
- Be ready to discuss your salary expectations.
- Prepare questions to ask the recruiter about the role and company.

## Round 2: Technical - System Design
**Type:** Technical - System Design · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Assesses system design, scalability, and problem-solving skills.
This round focuses on your technical depth and system design capabilities. You will be presented with a complex problem, often related to scaling a service or designing a new feature for a platform like MakeMyTrip. The interviewer will assess your ability to break down the problem, propose a scalable architecture, discuss trade-offs, and justify your design choices. Expect to draw diagrams and explain your reasoning thoroughly.
**Interviewers look for:** A structured approach to problem-solving.; Ability to design scalable and robust systems.; Understanding of trade-offs in design decisions.; Knowledge of various architectural patterns.; Clear communication of technical concepts.
**Evaluation criteria:** System design capabilities.; Problem-solving skills.; Understanding of distributed systems and scalability.; Ability to handle complex technical challenges.; Trade-off analysis and decision-making.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate technical solutions clearly.; Lack of depth in system design or architectural thinking.; Poor problem-solving approach.; Not demonstrating a strong understanding of scalability and performance.
## Questions

- Design a system to handle flight bookings for MakeMyTrip.
- How would you design a recommendation engine for travel packages?
- Design a real-time notification system for flight status updates.
- How would you scale a hotel search service to handle millions of concurrent users?
- Design an API gateway for MakeMyTrip's microservices.

## Preparation tips

- Review system design fundamentals (e.g., load balancing, caching, databases, message queues).
- Practice designing common large-scale systems (e.g., ride-sharing app, social media feed, e-commerce platform).
- Understand scalability concepts (horizontal vs. vertical scaling).
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs between different design choices.
- Think about reliability, availability, and performance aspects of your designs.

## Round 3: Managerial / Leadership Interview
**Type:** Managerial / Leadership · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Focuses on people management, leadership, strategic thinking, and behavioral aspects.
This round is focused on your people management, leadership, and strategic thinking abilities. The interviewer will delve into your experience managing engineering teams, including hiring, performance reviews, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team culture. You'll be asked about your approach to strategic planning, how you align engineering efforts with business objectives, and how you handle challenging situations with your team or stakeholders. Expect behavioral questions that require detailed examples.
**Interviewers look for:** Proven ability to lead and inspire engineering teams.; Experience in hiring, mentoring, and performance management.; Strategic mindset and ability to align technology with business goals.; Effective conflict resolution and communication skills.; Demonstrated ownership and accountability for team outcomes.
**Evaluation criteria:** Leadership and team management.; People development and mentoring.; Conflict resolution.; Strategic thinking and business alignment.; Decision-making under pressure.; Ownership and accountability.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to provide concrete examples of leadership.; Poor conflict resolution skills.; Lack of strategic thinking or business acumen.; Difficulty in managing and developing people.; Not demonstrating ownership or accountability.
## Questions

- Describe a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
- How do you approach performance management and career development for your team members?
- Tell me about a time you had to make a significant strategic decision for your team. What was your process?
- How do you foster a culture of psychological safety and inclusivity in your team?
- Describe your experience in hiring and onboarding new engineers.
- How do you balance delivering on short-term business goals with investing in long-term technical health?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for leadership, team building, conflict resolution, and strategic initiatives.
- Think about your management philosophy and how you develop engineers.
- Understand how to balance technical priorities with business needs.
- Be ready to discuss your experience with performance management and difficult conversations.
- Consider how you foster innovation and a culture of continuous improvement.

## Round 4: Executive / Final Round
**Type:** Executive / Final Round · **Difficulty:** High · **Duration:** 60 min
Final round with senior leadership focusing on vision, strategy, and cultural alignment.
This is typically the final round, often with senior leadership such as the CTO or VP of Engineering. The focus is on your strategic vision, leadership philosophy, and how you align with MakeMyTrip's overall business objectives and culture. They will assess your ability to think at a higher level, influence across departments, and contribute to the long-term direction of the engineering organization. Be prepared to discuss your vision for the future of technology at MakeMyTrip and how you would lead significant initiatives.
**Interviewers look for:** A clear and compelling vision for engineering.; Strong alignment with MakeMyTrip's culture and values.; Executive presence and ability to communicate effectively with senior leaders.; Strategic thinking that goes beyond team-level management.; Potential to contribute to the broader organizational strategy.
**Evaluation criteria:** Alignment with MakeMyTrip's vision and values.; Strategic vision for engineering.; Leadership presence and executive communication.; Cultural fit with senior leadership.; Ability to influence and drive change at a higher level.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with the company's vision and values.; Inability to demonstrate a clear vision for the engineering organization.; Poor cultural fit with senior leadership.; Not asking insightful questions.; Failure to articulate how they can contribute at an Associate Director level.
## Questions

- What is your vision for the engineering organization at MakeMyTrip in the next 3-5 years?
- How would you foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across multiple engineering teams?
- Describe a time you had to drive significant change within an organization. What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
- How do you ensure alignment between engineering, product, and business teams?
- What are the biggest challenges facing the travel tech industry today, and how should MakeMyTrip address them from an engineering perspective?

## Preparation tips

- Understand MakeMyTrip's long-term strategy and how engineering contributes to it.
- Develop a clear vision for how you would lead and grow the engineering function.
- Be prepared to discuss your leadership philosophy at an organizational level.
- Think about how you would drive innovation and technical excellence across multiple teams.
- Prepare insightful questions that demonstrate your strategic thinking and interest in the company's future.